Stairs
by The Once Caged Bird
Summary: Being trapped in a half-collapsed building with the god of thunder usually wouldn't be so bad. Mostly because the whole 'trapped' part wouldn't last long. Now if said god is injured and wanted dead by some not-so-incompetent bad guys, that complicates matters. Fortunately, Natasha works well with complicated. Drabble. Thortasha.


**A/N: Hi, it's me. I'm actually alive. Hopefully for awhile yet ^^; This is the 4th drabble in my Avengers Misadventures series. From now on, the drabbles will be posted separately (since most of them don't really relate to one another anyway). Enjoy!**

* * *

Main Characters: Thor and Natasha (a dash of Tony)

Theme: Action/General/Mild Fluff

Pairings: Thortasha (friendship/pre-relationship?)

Rating: PG-13 (for language and _mild _gore)

4. Stairs

_**CRAAAACCKSHHHNNIIGGGBOOOOOOOOM! **_

Natasha froze as her entire building shuddered in reaction to the bomb-like explosion from outside. The next instant, she dashed for a doorway in case the ceiling collapsed, just as another shockwave rocked the foundations. Thank God she was in a single story. In her ear, she heard the Captain yelling for a report on the damage.

"Unharmed, building still standing. I think the one next to my position was hit though," Natasha said in clipped tones, debating whether she should go for the window and out into the open. Dust filled the air from the explosion – there'd likely not be much better cover than that any time soon. Gun held at the ready, the assassin braced herself to bolt when Clint's report stopped her cold.

"_Shit that was bad! I think- no wait, yes. Thor's hit, repeat Thor's hit!_" Natasha heard Barton cursing through her earpiece. "_The big grey building. He went right through the damn thing and he's not responding_."

"_Who's closest?_" Steve asked urgently. "_Tony?_"

"_Bit… tied up… at the moment_," came Stark's grunts over the airwaves. Glancing out the window, Natasha saw the building in question. It was directly in front of her own.

"I'm in position Cap," she stated, already heading for the window.

"_Do you need… help_?" the super soldier questioned, sounding out of breath himself. Last Natasha knew he was almost on the other side of the city.

"I'll let you know," the spy replied, ending communications. Eying the building speculatively, Natasha hopped over the windowsill and into the debris-strewn street. Barton would be covering the air as best he could from the quinjet, but it looked like most of the fighting had moved further uptown anyway. All the better for her to focus.

"Thor?" She tried his personal channel and only received static back. Knowing Thor, his earpiece was either lost or broken, because it took more than a lot to knock the god unconscious.

Noting that the front doors were completely barricaded with the fallen building façade, Natasha let her eyes scan for another way in… There.

A lamp pole had gone through a large bay window on the first floor and looked like as good a place as any to try.

After confirming with Clint that the area was clear, Natasha dashed across the street, dodging busted cars and chunks of concrete before she ran lightly up the fallen lamppost and jumped inside the building. A quick shoulder roll brought her into a darkened, half collapsed lobby. Clint had said Thor was somewhere on the upper floors.

As she made her way through the dark hallways, Natasha suddenly realized that if Thor were injured, there probably wouldn't be much she could do for him. Then she shook head determinedly. First she'd find him. Then she'd think about the next step.

The decision didn't stop her pace from quickening though.

* * *

It took almost half an hour, all her contortionist skills, and a good deal of quick thinking to make it through the crumbling, half-destroyed building to the place where Thor had landed. If the word landed could even be used.

Natasha personally thought it looked more like he'd done a graceless cannonball from the sixty-eighth floor all the way through to the twenty-second. But she wasn't judging.

She took all this in on a very superficial level as she crouched down next to her comrade, who was slumped and dirty against the wall. His armor, she noticed, was partially scorched (which _never _happened), but that thought was shoved aside when she saw the streaks of blood smeared across the floor, indicating that he'd drug himself to his current upright position.

Jaw set hard, Natasha called his name a few times with no response before she reached to touch his face, patting it a few times to rouse him. She was wary of shaking him without knowing the full extent of his injuries, which his blackened armor hid regrettably well.

The assassin was rewarded when Thor's nostrils flared and his fierce blues eyes snapped open. Before even her quick reflexes could save her, Thor had seized her outstretched arm with a roar and wrenched her forward, intent on breaking her face with his forehead. Natasha's heart jumped into her throat and reflexively braced herself for pain. Time slowed down.

Thor's eyes widened in recognition in that moment as she hurtled towards him, and then he ducked his head to the side, braking her forward momentum with his chest as he caught her in his arms. Still she slammed into him _hard_, knocking the breath from her lungs as well as his, if his whooshing grunt was anything to go by. They lay there for a heartbeat.

"Good reflexes," Natasha managed, not quite trusting her body to support her weight just yet. Adrenaline pumped through the assassin's veins, making her bones feel watery and her head swim alarmingly. Thor shifted to release her, gently lifting her shoulders so he could see his teammate's face. Natasha took the opportunity to brace herself against him and slide her knees up to the side so she was no longer sprawled on top of him. Still his eyes did not leave her. She saw his throat bob as he swallowed hard.

"Are you injured?" He queried, seeming somewhat shell-shocked. Natasha shook her head with what she hoped was a reassuring smile. Thor, however, groaned and thumped his head back against the wall behind him, eyes clenched tight.

"Hel and damnation Natasha, I could have easily killed you!" Thor seethed through gritted teeth. "I very nearly did! What in Valhalla possessed you?" She had rarely heard him so angry. But Natasha had seen the horror in his eyes, and knew that he was angrier with himself than her. Which was unfair to him since she really should have known better. Had she not seen almost every day what centuries of war and fighting had done to his reactions? Only Jarvis knew how many times he'd broken something due to being startled. Natasha knew better and she berated herself for it.

"My fault," she agreed readily, not letting her own agitation show. "I should've remembered. Won't happen again," Thor's eyes opened in confusion and then remorse that she was actually taking the blame but Natasha quickly changed the subject as she let her eyes scan critically for wounds.

"Don't worry about it now," she muttered distractedly, noting with growing unease the amount of blood staining the begrimed floor. "Where's your injury? Or are there multiple? How bad?" She shifted herself into a better position beside him, and had to grab his shoulder when he attempted to sit up straighter. Thor sighed at her warning look.

"Right thigh. A bit of the structure was more stubborn than the rest and decided to accompany me for the majority of my… entrance," Thor said blackly, not bothering to hide a grimace of pain. A small part of Natasha appreciated the morbid humor while the rest of her focused on the indicated injury. From what she could tell, a piece of rebar had gone through his leg from behind and had exited at an angle near the knee on the inside of his thigh. It wasn't a pretty sight, and it was bound to be painful. She didn't know a whole hell of a lot about Asgardian anatomy, but on a human, the wound would be far too close to the femoral artery for her liking. Likely (if he had one) it wasn't punctured, otherwise he'd be unconscious or dead at the moment. At least that was a bit of good fortune.

"How on earth did this happen?" Natasha muttered aloud as she examined the wound critically. Never before had she seen Thor take anything more than a _scratch. _And often times those healed within a few minutes. _This… this_ was making her stomach roll the more she saw of it. So she looked back at Thor, who's brilliant blue eyes held a cocktail combo of pain, weariness, and suppressed, _livid, _rage.

"It would seem some coward harbors a grudge against me," Thor said by way of explanation, holding up a small object for her to see. Natasha's scalp prickled in apprehension as she examined the sleek, four-inch dart Thor held. It was a make she had never seen before, and that unnerved her more than the puddle of blood she was currently kneeling in. She glanced at Thor, but he shook his head grimly.

"I know nothing of this particular weapon, save its effects," Thor admitted. "I had hoped you might recognize it, but it would seem you are as lost as I." Natasha grimaced and nodded as she gingerly accepted the vial-incased dart from the thunderer. A more thorough inspection gave her no further answers except that whatever liquid or material the vial had held was gone. The blood-encrusted needle end gave a clear indication as to what had happened to its contents. She slipped it into the pouch at her hip for later examination.

"The effects?" Natasha asked calmly, fighting back her own growing worry. She needed to get Thor to a medic as of half an hour ago. Already the god was looking paler than when she'd found him.

"Fatigue mostly," Thor said with a slight shrug, as if it hardly mattered that he'd been pumped full of some foreign and potentially fatal substance. A sharp glance at the thunderer told her that his intelligent eyes had caught her brief surge of panic. Likely he was attempting to set her mind at ease while his body fought its own battle. Natasha's lips thinned as she realized that really there was nothing she could do. Not about the poi- _substance _at least. His injury was another matter.

"Okay, we'll worry about the dart later," she said shortly, looking back down at the thick metal bar protruding from the side of the god's thigh. _Fatigue… and mortal weaknesses apparently, _Natasha thought angrily. She sincerely hoped their teammates held nothing back against these bastards. That she couldn't immediately think of anyone _capable _of creating such a concoction did absolutely nothing for her mood. Fortunately Thor's comment shook her from her darkening thoughts.

"It will need to be removed," Thor sighed in irritation, as if being stabbed by tacky sixties architecture was an everyday ordeal. The words didn't register to the spy until the god actually reached down and grabbed the protruding steel. Swiftly she stayed his hand.

"What are you doing?" It was an instinctual reaction. She let go the moment she realized who she was talking to. Thor, for his part, gave her a look of understanding.

"If I do not rid myself of it, there's a possibility that my body will heal it in place," he mumbled, proceeding to wrap his fingers around the blood soaked rebar, wincing as it shifted inside his leg. Blood leaked around the wound. "It does not precisely incline me to enjoy the experience though."

"…Possibility?" Natasha inquired after a beat, trying to distract Thor from the gruesome task at hand. How he would manage it, and how he would be capable of coherent thought afterwards was beyond her. Were it anyone else, she would stop them immediately. The risks... if he nicked an artery… if the rebar had splintered at any point inside his leg… if his current weakness-

Natasha cut the thought off. Thor had been taking care of himself for _centuries. _He knew his limits better than anyone. She held her tongue and Thor answered her query.

"Aye," Thor grunted, leaning forward to examine the wound critically. "Loki is the one who suggested it, after I accidentally stabbed myself playing with one of his knives. That is why I say it is a possibility. Loki may have been having a jest at my expense." He attempted tugging on the bar gently and hissed in pain.

"You stabbed yourself?" Natasha asked, wondering distantly if it mightn't be better to just wrench the thing out. She was just more of a "rip the band aid off" type of person. It hurt more, but took less time. But she digressed – she'd never had to pull a two-inch diameter solid steel pole out of her leg before.

"Loki was experimenting with knives that would act as Mjölnir does and return to the thrower. By unfortunate happenstance, I borrowed one of the knives he had been working on." Natasha's eyebrows rose in disbelief.

"Unfortunate happenstance, huh?"

Thor gave a strained chuckle as he eased the bar out another centimeter.

"In this case – yes. Loki had left them in his room where – as he stated later with great ire – I had no business being…" Thor cut himself off as the rebar caught on something. Muscle or bone, Natasha couldn't tell, but she saw sweat begin to break out on the Thunderer's forehead.

Jaw muscles jumping as he gritted his teeth, Thor twisted the bar slowly to the left and resumed pulling, focusing hard on the task at hand. Silence ensued for a beat.

Then somewhere below a support gave way and the floor gave a horrendous jolt, causing Thor to jerk his grip on the bar. He grunted in pain as the entire building shuddered. More dust filled the air as sheetrock crumbled down and walls cracked under the strain of the half-collapsed structure's weight.

"That does not sound reassuring," Thor remarked blithely when he'd regained his breath. Natasha was not so flippant.

"We need to leave." Thor closed his eyes and nodded, taking a deep breath.

"I know," he said.

And wrenched the rebar out of his leg.

* * *

It'd been a while since he'd heard from Nat.

Clint was clear for the moment, crouched behind some fallen cars while he roughly bandaged a few burns he'd gotten when the quinjet crashed. Away from the fighting for a moment, he'd probably not get another chance to check up on her, though he wouldn't be much help even if she needed it. An irritated glace was shot at the quinjet's smoldering remains.

When Clint tuned into Natasha's channel, it was opened to very fluent, very fast, and very _wrathful _Russian cursing. He understood enough to garner that Thor had done something and Natasha wasn't happy about it. She sounded pissed but not panicked, so they were probably okay. And that was enough information to understand that he wasn't needed at the moment. He was just happy he wasn't Thor right now. Shaking off sympathetic sentiments, Clint decided to get back to doing what he did best: shooting bad guys and saving the day.

Which was when the universe apparently decided he wasn't allowed to have honorable delusions of grandeur and promptly sent the sharp voice of his best friend crackling through the earpiece.

"_Clint_." Natasha growled over the airwaves. Clint frowned at the heavens as he answered.

"Yeah?"

"_We need a lift." _Clint would have happily traded places with Stark, taking on every airborne attacker in the city single-handedly, if it meant he didn't have to be the one to tell Natasha she was shit out of luck.

"Quinjet's down Nat," Clint reported. Yeah, he was dead. Very, very dead. Hid Fury's eye patch kind of dead. Silence reigned for a beat, and Clint suddenly wondered how serious their situation was.

"Do you need Stark?" He asked before he could stop himself. Tony couldn't truly be spared… but if Natasha accepted, then they really were in a bad way. But she had Thor with her, how much trouble could they be in?

"_Negative. Stark's the only one in the sky, we'll figure something else out." _Natasha sounded distracted. "_Get back to work Barton." _Clint rolled his eyes.

"Yes ma'am," he replied, rising from his hideout, bracing himself to rush back into the fray.

They'd be fine he thought, as he caught sight of his first target and loosed an arrow half a second later. After all, they were two of the most indestructible and stubborn people he knew.

* * *

"I believe the phrase 'what in Valhalla possessed you' is quite appropriate here," Natasha commented calmly. The rebar had been cast aside, but the gaping hole and pouring blood were testaments of its good work. The fact that Thor wouldn't let her tourniquet the wound had exasperated her beyond measure. What was he _thinking?_

"We… need to leave, yes?" Thor grunted through gritted teeth. He was poking around the injury rather roughly, as if assessing it. Natasha pursed her lips in disapproval.

Then Thor glanced up to give her a tight smile. "There appear to be no shards remaining." And with that he refocused on the wound, placing each hand over the entrance and exit points, and took a deep breath.

Before Natasha's eyes, the bleeding slowed. Thor continued to take deep steadying breaths as the assassin watched in something akin to awe. After less than a minute, he removed his hands and there were only messy scabs at both points. She raised her eyebrows at Thor who looked somewhat smug, despite being covered in filth and blood.

"God of healing, among other things," Thor answered her unspoken question. Before she could even process a proper response to that information, the building gave another tremble, as if reminding them of their precarious position.

"I'd say that's our cue," Natasha said, eyeing the Norse god. "Can you walk?"

In answer, said god hauled himself to his feet, using the wall for support. He seemed a bit unsteady, but he was up, and that was better than she'd hoped for after seeing the state of his leg. But mobility wouldn't mean shit if they couldn't get out of the building, and Natasha highly doubted Thor could get out the way she'd come in. But…

"Where's Mjölnir?" Natasha asked, noticing the hammer's absence for the first time. Thor tilted his head, almost like he was listening for something.

"Buried in the depths of this structure," he said distractedly, raising his hand slightly before pausing sharply in consideration. He frowned as he glanced at the spy, "It would not be wise, I think, to summon it now. It could bring the entire building down upon our heads." Natasha nodded at Thor's point, mulling over their options, then thought of something else that made the hammer's inaccessibility a moot point anyway. She bit back a frustrated sigh.

"And if you have me with you, we'll be potshots for the guys in the air," she noted, irritated at being a hindrance. "…It'd be better if we got to ground level..." Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the room. Then she saw it – an exit sign dangling from its wires near the corner. She gestured towards it.

"Stay here for a minute, I'm going to see if that's a way out."

"Very well," Thor agreed, leaning wearily against the wall. Natasha's brows furrowed in concern. They needed to hurry.

* * *

Stairs.

_Well what else did you expect? _The spy asked herself crossly.

A vague stirring of a burning building in Montreal niggled at Natasha's consciousness. Followed quickly by others of a similar nature. She'd always had bad luck with stairs. There was no reason to believe this time would be any better.

Thor, too, was inspecting the stairs with a look of distrust.

"I have never had very good memories of stairs in situations such as these," the god said resentfully. Natasha snorted.

"Shall we, then?"

"We may as well," Thor sighed. Natasha slipped under his arm and let Thor go down a step ahead. They'd decided the height difference was too great for them to walk side-by-side. Even so, the only aid she could offer was that of balance. Thor was too heavy for her to support or – heaven forbid – catch.

Natasha held her breath as Thor took the first step. Bending his right knee and putting pressure on his wounds had had the Norse god cursing under his breath all the way to the entrance of the service stairwell. And that had been over a flat surface.

Now, going down multiple flights, with lights flickering in a disorientating way, and the building giving the odd tremble as more supports gave way beneath it, all added up to a rather bad idea that precluded some sort of fatal end in Natasha's books. Though they did still have the summon-Mjölnir-and-bolt-for-it option on the table.

"Couldn't you have hurtled through another ten floors or so?" Natasha muttered in feigned aggravation as, a full twenty-four agonizing steps down, they made the twenty-first landing. The thunderer's breath was hitching every other step and sweat was streaking down his face, which was now sporting an unhealthy flush. Distraction, she hoped, would be welcome. For both of them.

She was rewarded for her efforts when Thor gave a short laugh. "I will attempt, in our future battles, to favor the ground conflicts… Perhaps I will even trade positions with Steven. I've no doubts of his ability to wield Mjölnir, and I have always wished to test that great discus he claims to be a shield." Natasha couldn't help but chuckle at that, imagining Thor flinging Captain America's legendary shield like an oversized Frisbee of death. The following image of Steve trying to fly with Mjölnir elicited a genuine smile from the spy. And she could feel the slow boil of anxiety rolling in her stomach recede to a mere simmer. Thor matched her smile as they wobbled down the stairs together.

The levity did not last long though.

They descended a few more steps before Thor took on a more serious tone, "I will also attempt to be more watchful in the future," he declared. "No being has caught me so unaware since my youth." That snagged Natasha's attention.

"What happened?" she prodded.

"A… missile," Thor hesitated over the term, "was flying towards the western edge of the city." Where most of the civilians had evacuated to, Natasha remembered. Thor grimaced, "I seized the weapon, little imagining there was a second close behind. They collided. The explosion is what threw me in here."

"And the dart?" Natasha asked, wondering where Thor was going with this.

Thor scowled, "The poison struck much earlier. I did not feel it until I reached to push my hair from my face." The thunderer used his free hand to sweep away his golden locks and Natasha paused on the step above him to examine the angry and swollen injection point between his neck and shoulder. Red streaks clawed out from the small, bloody wound, but as Natasha gently prodded the injury, Thor didn't so much as bat an eye.

"A numbing agent on the needle maybe?" Natasha theorized aloud, readjusting Thor's arm across her shoulder as they continued down to the nineteenth landing. Thor shrugged and let his hair fall back over the site, muttering a low curse as his boot caught on some debris.

"I know not; however I began to feel its effects just before the missiles struck. I was tiring… I was inattentive. And I do not think the timing was mere coincidence. But that is not what concerns me." Worry and determination warred across his face.

"Natasha…" Thor said reluctantly, as if voicing what troubled him might somehow make it true. Natasha glanced at him as he came to a complete stop and turned to her.

"These people were targeting me deliberately," Thor pressed. "Their intent was to render me useless or dead." Natasha nodded, having already made the assumption that Thor was the target. With the use of the dart, however, and the unknown nature of their assailants, she had only been able to guess at the identity of their true enemy. But Thor wasn't done.

"What is to say that we are not all targets?"

That stopped Natasha cold. Her heart thudded loudly in her ears twice before training kicked in. Then she was steadying Thor as best she could as she reached for her earpiece.

"Clint?"

"_Yeah?" _Natasha didn't show her relief at his quick reply.

"There's a high possibility we're the targets. Spread the word."

"…_Can do. Stay safe." _

"Watch your back," Natasha replied before cutting the connection. A brief glance at Thor showed he was ready to begin again. Tense silence ensued as they started down the next flight, both wondering how their friends were fairing, and when the next attack would come.

* * *

Ironically it was on the thirteenth floor that it happened.

"I don't think I can jump that," Natasha said bluntly.

"I would be impressed if you could," Thor agreed. The two of them were at the thirteenth landing, looking down at the twelfth landing, and the gaping space in between. To make matters better, it seemed that said gaping hole repeated itself on every floor thereafter.

"On a good day, I could make it," Natasha pointed out irritably. _So close._ And now they were stuck. Again.

"Do you encounter many of these situations on your good days?" Thor asked jokingly. "I pity you if that is the case." The thunderer had been in better spirits hearing the frequent updates from each team member since they'd been warned. Natasha had been greatly relieved to hear from them as well, but at the same time she was growing more concerned for Thor's worsening condition. All the same, she shot him dark look.

"Any ideas?"

"I could jump across, carrying you," Thor mused, rubbing his chin. Natasha shot a pointed look at his blood-soaked pant leg. His puncture wound had reopened around the fifteenth floor, though he hadn't said anything about it. Unless you counted the cursing. There were some very inventive sounding ones that she would have to have him teach her later.

On a good day.

_If we ever get out of this damn building, _Natasha thought.

"The true question is," Thor continued, "would that floor hold us?" He nodded to the twelfth landing. Following his gesture, Natasha had to agree. It looked like it was barely holding on.

"Doesn't look like it," Natasha said aloud, thinking of their other options. Or _option_, as it were. She glanced at Thor, who raised his eyebrows.

"Mjölnir?"

"Mjölnir."

Thor grinned and Natasha gave a small smile herself. Then she nodded towards the door leading to the thirteenth floor. They might as well be close to a window if they were going to attempt exiting the building like this. Natasha tried not to think of all the ways this could go wrong.

"We get out, you get hidden quick. With any luck, SHIELD will be here with backup within an hour," she said, helping Thor through the doorway. Thor sighed.

"Yes, of course," he rumbled, sounding less than pleased. Natasha felt for him of course – she hated being out of action almost as much as he did. But on the way down, she'd made a very good case about his current state of health being more of a liability than asset to the team. Lord knew pointing out the likelihood that he would get himself killed trying to fight would get her nowhere.

"Stay here for a second," Natasha said, gesturing towards the doorway. She was going to check the air outside the window first. It'd do no good if they escaped the building only to be toasted by the airborne attackers.

Quickly, she made her way down the thirteenth floor hallway, opening the odd door until she found a room with a window. Then, looking out, she carefully took stock of their immediate surroundings.

Still more than a hundred feet in the air, and not far enough from the fighting to remain inconspicuous, Natasha counted at least three patrols that would see them if they attempted to escape. Probably more, since it was likely the building would be coming down behind them. Usually, Thor would be able to zap all the bad guys with lightning while in flight (or else just crash into them), but that wouldn't be possible with his very human cargo. They were going to need help if they were going to make it out relatively unnoticed.

Natasha tapped her earpiece, "Stark?"

"_Yeaah?" _Came the billionaire's static-y voice.

"Hate to bother you, but we're going to need a distraction," the spy said. There was a pause.

"_What level distraction are we talking here?"_

"Remember that time in Cuba?"

"_Oh boy, do I ever."_

"We need the air clear on our side of the city, Stark."

"_Alright but you owe me one for this – I just repainted my armor last week."_

"Try not to have too much fun," Natasha commented dryly before cutting the line. There would be no need for Stark to signal when the distraction began – they'd hear it. The building around her gave another rumble - time to go get Thor.

Natasha had taken less than a dozen steps though, when she felt the floor suddenly sink beneath her foot. Cracks shot out in every direction like thin ice cracking. Natasha went absolutely still, coiling her body to leap for it. Then everything jolted and the building's joints groaned. Shrieking metal and the deafening cracks of breaking concrete and shattering glass echoed throughout the structure. It was finally collapsing – at the one time they were separated.

"Thooorrr!" Natasha called in warning. She didn't hear a response though, because at that precise moment, the entire floor gave way beneath her, bringing down steel and concrete around her. Then something hit her hard from behind and everything went black.

* * *

The Black Widow came around to the sound of sneezing behind her. She could see nothing, but she could taste sheetrock dust coating the inside of her mouth and throat. On first inhale, she coughed violently, barely aware of anything but the choking and gagging racking her body. Behind her, a voice urgently called her name, but it was a few minutes before she could properly respond.

"Thor?" Natasha croaked, still unable to see. But she could feel the Norse god's armor at her back. She attempted to turn, but found the space much more cramped than she'd originally thought. There was less than a foot of free space in front of her folded body, blocked off by a giant slab of concrete that felt as if it wouldn't be moving any time soon.

"Are you injured Natasha?" Thor asked, his deep voice filling the small space. Natasha took a shallow breath.

"No, don't think so – you?" They were definitely going to need Stark; there was no avoiding it now. She reached for her earpiece only to find it missing, eliciting a string of silent curses inventive enough to match Thor's.

"No more than before," Thor said wryly. Another sneeze echoed from behind her.

"So, any ideas of a way out of this one?" Natasha asked, whilst using her foot to prod the surrounding rubble for weak spots. They'd have to find their own way out. Again.

"None that immediately come to mind," Thor said, shifting behind her. The concrete overhead groaned in response to his movement. Natasha frowned.

"Thor, are you holding up the ceiling right now?"

"What is left of it," Thor said. Natasha shook her head. _Gods. _

"I don't suppose I should even ask how your leg is doing," Natasha muttered. "With how fast you got here, I'm sure you've ruined it."

"My body has endured far worse," Thor objected, sounding almost offended. Natasha arched an eyebrow.

"Name one time," she challenged, now using her hands to search for potential exits. Thor snorted.

"One time in the many hundreds of wars I have fought in?" Thor said in amusement, as if proving a point. Natasha supposed he was.

"At least you had a proper doctor then," the assassin commented, while her fingers found a likely gap between two slabs of structuring. There was even a tickling of breeze coming from it. It would be too heavy for her to push through… but perhaps if Thor repositioned himself…?

"Had I been less prideful, I might have sought out our healers. T'would have saved me a great deal of misery I'm sure," Thor mused distractedly. "…That weakness, do you believe it leads out of this wreckage?" Natasha blinked at the revelation… though the scenery didn't change. She really shouldn't be surprised anymore.

"You can see?" She asked.

"Of course. Can you not? Has your vision been impaired?" Thor asked in concern. Natasha shook her head.

"No, most mortals can't see in this lighting, or lack thereof. You're alone again in your singular abilities," the spy admitted. "Speaking of which, think you could hold that rock up and push this one at the same time?" Thor shifted behind her.

"I believe so, though it will put you in a most… uncomfortable position," Thor said, sounding greatly aggrieved. Natasha smiled at that.

"My body has endured far worse," she said dryly, eliciting a chuckle from the thunder god.

"Just tell me what you need me to do," the spy said. Thor 'hmm-ed' in thought, assessing the situation.

"I cannot reach from here to there with only the length of my arms," Thor said as if thinking aloud. "I think… yes, that would perhaps work. Aye, Loki would laugh at me until Ragnarök comes for this …" His mutterings trailed off with a sigh.

"Are you prepared?" he asked reluctantly.

"All ears," she replied. Thor paused for an unsure moment before Natasha clarified, "I'm listening."

"Very well. I will have to stretch out in order to reach the gap whilst holding the ceiling," Thor explained. "In order to do so, I will need to brace the ceiling with my hands and push the gap with my feet." Natasha was beginning to see where he was going with this.

"So you need to stretch your legs out and I'm in your way," she guessed, sparing him the awkwardness. She shrugged and kept her voice easily nonchalant for Thor's sake, "I'll just have to sit on you I suppose." Thor huffed in relief.

"If it is not too much of an imposition my lady," the thunderer said ruefully.

"I think I'll survive," Natasha returned. Carefully, she raised herself into a crouch, while Thor eased his back out from under the rock and sank into a sitting position, still holding up the rubble with his hands. Natasha had a feeling that if Tony could see this, Loki wouldn't be laughing alone.

Cautiously, Natasha turned herself to face him. This was going to be interesting.

"Okay, since I can't see, you're going to have to direct me," Natasha said almost teasingly. She was fairly sure of the position she would need to assume for Thor to do his work. Might as well make light of it. It was just a shame she couldn't see his expression.

"Natasha, you jest at my expense," Thor accused. Natasha laughed. The god sighed.

"Make yourself comfortable, by all means," Thor said with mock geniality. Natasha rolled her eyes and shifted forward, hands trailing lightly across Thor's knees so she had an idea of where his legs were. He was sitting Indian style, so she had to step over each knee (careful to avoid his injured thigh) before she was able to straddle his waist. She placed her hands on his shoulders, and even though his armor hid it, she could tell his body was tight with tension. She'd need to address that.

"Just don't head-butt me this time," she jibed. Thor let out a low chuckle and eased his legs out in front of him, bracing his boots against the two concrete slabs on either side of the gap Natasha had found. Then he began to shove. She could feel the muscles of his legs tighten beneath her as the god of thunder strained against who knew how many tons of rubble on the other side of the concrete debris.

"I'll just go ahead and say I'm impressed," Natasha said reluctantly as the slabs grudgingly began to grind outwards. It wasn't every day one got to see a god's strength at work. Or hear it, she supposed. And Natasha was not very easily impressed considering her history with the abnormal and super powered beings of and not of the world. Knowing of his injury and weakness just made the feat all the more extraordinary. Thor grunted his appreciation.

"It would have been more impressive, I think, if we had not first landed ourselves in such a lamentable position," he noted in a strained voice. Natasha nodded emphatically. Really, she'd just made the situation worse for Thor. If she hadn't come, he would have woken up, healed himself, and blown the joint without having to concern himself with her safety. Irritation swept through her at the thought. There was nothing she could do about it now though.

Abruptly, the grinding came to a halt as Thor stilled. He was breathing harder than before and Natasha grew concerned. The thunder god tensed.

"There is something out there," Thor breathed. Natasha's hand went for the gun at her waist, cocking it in preparation. Thor's hearing was apparently as good as his eyesight. If he could hear something, it was just a matter of time before she could as well – there it was. Scraping. Then came the sound of a minor explosion.

Without warning, one of the slabs Thor was braced against gave way, allowing sunlight to flood the enclosed space, only blocked in part by the figure of Iron Man standing over them.

"Found 'em Cap-" Tony cut himself off abruptly, his impassive mask hiding whatever expression he was making. Natasha was guessing gob smacked and gleeful, and casually arched an eyebrow, daring the billionaire to make a comment about their compromising position. He ignored her spectacularly, flipping his visor back to reveal that she had been right on the money about his expression. Behind her, Natasha heard Thor sigh.

"No hey, I totally understand," Tony quipped charitably, "You think this is the end of the road and you wanna give it one last go – hey, I'm the last one to judge. Not exactly the ideal place, but you know, some people find danger very kinky, not that I'm asking-"

"Stark," Thor interrupted levelly, seeming torn between affront and amusement. "Aid would be most appreciated." Tony's expression cleared.

"Right. Being a hero. Gotcha. Nat, you wanna…?" The billionaire offered a hand to Natasha, heaving her out of the gap when she took hold. It was only then he seemed to take note of Thor's situation.

"Huh, they really didn't hold back on the abilities when they made you guys, did they?" Tony muttered as he examined the amount of wreckage and debris the Norse god was holding up. "Who even makes gods?" He wondered aloud as he got to work shoving rubble off the portion of concrete Thor was holding up, systematically unburying the thunderer.

Conversationally, he said, "Your doomed romance episode aside, it's actually a good thing you guys fell off the map when you did. Seems our baddies had it in for you big guy." The last of the major rubble fell off to the side and Tony said, "Alright, arise my pretty, I set you free."

Thor stood easily, lifting the concrete up and tossing it to the side without effort. Natasha pursed her lips when she saw him lock his knee to keep it from bending. It was frustrating but there was nothing they could do about it now. She turned to Tony.

"Status?" She asked crisply, brushing sheetrock and dust off her person and checking for wounds. Cuts and bruises only, from what she could tell. Stark was another matter though – he looked like he'd been through a particularly faulty wood chipper.

Stark stretched around, popping his back and a few circuits at the same time before answering, "Still lots of guys in the air. Backup's on the way. Most of the ground guys are down, but they've mainly been looking for Sir Strikes A Lot over there," he nodded at Thor who didn't look the least bit surprised. "But Clint said you guys already knew that. What _we _didn't know was whether or not the two of you were alive. Just dumb luck I found you at all." He gestured around at the half collapsed building around them. Then he gave them a sly look, "But it looks like you guys might not have wanted to be found just yet, so if you want me to ring Cap and say it was a false alarm, hey, just give me the word and-" Tony was cut off by a booming explosion not too far away. The three of them looked at each other. The billionaire sighed.

"Sounds like I'm up," he said gamely, walking towards the busted wall he'd entered through. Natasha could tell he was worn out though. He'd been at it for several hours after all. Thor spotted it too.

"Stark, do you believe you could get Natasha to safety?" The thunderer asked. Tony stopped short and turned.

"Oh no, you're not going out there – these guys are after you man, and they got the tech to make it happen," Tony objected immediately. _And he's already been hurt, _Natasha added mentally. But Thor set his jaw determinedly.

"If it is me they want, it is me they will get," Thor declared. "I will not run from these cowards and hide." He strode forward and grasped of Tony's shoulder, looking him square in the eyes. "You have fought well. Take Natasha to safety, I will carry on from here."

"Dude, they'll kill you," Tony said, pointing towards the patrols flying past the windows. Natasha wanted to protest too, but she saw a spark in Thor's eyes that gave her pause. He had an idea.

"Not if I have any say in the matter," Thor said. He glanced at Natasha. "The Hawk is no longer in the sky?" She nodded and Thor turned his eyes to Tony, noting his battered appearance doubtfully. "You will not be in the sky much longer." Tony made to protest but Thor raised his hand for silence. Natasha was surprised to see the billionaire comply.

"Most times my lightning is focused to avoid accidentally striking one of my companions," Thor said, a small smirk beginning to form. "That is what these people know and what the expect from me. But I am capable of more." Tony arched his eyebrows.

"How much more?"

"What do you remember of our adventures on the island of Cuba?" Thor asked, grinning broadly. There was a pause before Natasha and Tony exclaimed together:

"That was you!?"

"Verily so. I can handle these gutless peons, now that I know what they are about. I would suggest the two of you rejoin the others. This is no longer your fight."

"I take offense to that," Tony said irritably, "But otherwise seems like a decent plan. Kind of our only plan, really. I can't do shit when those guys swarm me and the suit's almost out of juice. If you think it'll work. Nat?"

The assassin's eyes narrowed. None of them had any idea who these guys were. But they were after Thor. They already injured the god with some unknown chemical that could have horrible side effects, no matter what kind of healing powers he had. They could have even more powerful weapons. Stronger concentrations of whatever chemical they were using. They could have leverage of some kind over the god. There were too many unknowns.

And then there was Thor himself. He was still dealing with his injury dealt by the rebar that had been further exacerbated by their recent escapades about this damn building. He was going to go flying about against an anomaly. The danger to him was distinctly higher than it was against any of his teammates. People wanted him _dead. _

And he wanted to go and fight.

Realistically though, he was the only one that could. Tony was on his last leg, so to speak. Backup was pending. And Thor had the motivation. Natasha could draw the conclusions.

"I say light 'em up."

* * *

They agreed that Natasha and Tony would launch themselves into a nearby building. It would draw the attention of the patrols, but by then Thor would have Mjölnir in hand and the enemy would have their hands full of very furious Norse god.

The impromptu team wished each other luck and the plan went into motion.

Natasha and Tony watched in stunned silence as lightning tore through the sky, not in branches, but in _sheets. _The entire sky filled with so many bolts of livid electricity that they had to shield their eyes from the brightness.

The thunder that followed made the very earth shake.

* * *

SHIELD arrived not too long after, only to find the majority of the invaders in scorched heaps all across the city. Those that remained surrendered without much protest. Agent Coulson was not long in obtaining a confession to the attempted murder of one Thor Odinsson and the planned abduction of the remaining Avengers. Apparently their employer had done enough research on their skills to realize that containing the living embodiment of thunder and lightning would be near impossible. So he'd opted to get rid of Thor for good.

A smirk graced the assassin's lips as an EMT doctor placed a butterfly bandage across her temple. Obviously their opponent had not reckoned on just how damn hard the thunder god was to kill. It was a mistake she had just recently made though, and so she did not begrudge the man for his miscalculation.

As her thoughts turned to Thor, so too did her eyes. The medics had packed him into the back of an ambulance and were currently working on his leg, since the closest hospital had been all but decimated in the attack. Fortunately it had been one of the first evacuated.

The god wore a very disgruntled expression as he attempted to explain to the nurse who's scissors had snapped attempting to cut through his magic-woven pants (only colossal force could rend them, he'd explained when she'd asked), that he had no need of medical assistance, though he appreciated their kindness. Another doctor stumbled across the puncture on his neck and asked him about it. Thor's offhanded description of the dart sent the medical crew into another frenzied panic as the head doctor yelled for someone to call the closest poisons expert. Thor's helpless expression finally moved Natasha to pity and she stepped forward to his rescue.

"SHIELD already has samples of his blood as well as a description of the poison from our captives," she said loudly over the nurse chewing out an intern. The medics paused to look at her and she assumed an authoritative demeanor.

"Now, if you are finished bandaging him up, Director Fury would like to see him for the debriefing," she stated. The doctors hovered between compliance with the ranking government force on the site, and ensuring the health of one of the world's most famous and valuable superheroes. Likely they assumed it would be on their heads if Thor should become ill after they released him. With the frequencies of lawsuits, Natasha couldn't say she blamed them. Her expression softened slightly.

"I will be taking responsibility for him now," she assured. "SHIELD will take good care of him. Not that he needs it – by this time tomorrow, we expect his full recovery." Her eyes flickered over to Thor, who was giving her a wide smile. Then the head doctor began nodding slowly. He smoothed down his coat in an attempt to look professional and cleared his throat at Thor.

"Well then Mr. Thor, it would appear that you are free to go," he said confidently. Then he paused, and Natasha narrowed her eyes in suspicion, reminding herself to send an agent to confiscate any blood samples they might have collected.

A moment later though, she was hiding a smile as the doctor produced a pen and paper and asked Thor to sign his "release form". The god quickly scrawled his name across the line and thanked the team sincerely before he all but bolted out the back of the vehicle. He completely missed the way the doctor held the clipboard to his chest reverently, and the predatory looks the other doctors were giving the release form their leader clung to. Natasha had to work harder than normal to smother the laughter that was threatening to oust them all. Instead, she turned to Thor, who had joined her and appeared to be eyeing her bandages critically.

"Nothing major Thor," she assured before he could ask. The thunderer's eyes crinkled with his smile.

"That is indeed good news, my friend," he said warmly. The endearment caught her off guard, but she found that it felt right. And her smile then was one that had only been received by a handful of people.

As they started towards the temporary SHIELD base, Natasha reflected on the day and realized that, in spite of the circumstances, she had smiled more in that one day than she had in the past several weeks combined. It was the sort of realization that might normally concern her, but as Thor noted aloud that Fury had scheduled the debriefing for that evening and gave her a knowing look, she allowed herself to be distracted.

The following banter about leaving the doctors to patients who actually _needed_ them (a.k.a. the people who _wouldn't_ be completely healed within twenty-four hours) was greatly amusing. And as Thor muttered about her obvious skills in some sort of witchcraft to so easily break the vice-like hold the healers had on him, Natasha felt a warmth in her soul that felt dangerously close to a kind of happy contentment.

But Natasha always had a thing for danger, so she brazenly basked in that warm happiness, soaking in every smile and laugh she could. While she could.

* * *

"Stairs."

"Hmm?"

"There are _stairs_ into the base."

"…So there are."

"I would have words with someone about this."

"Know what? I think I'll join you in that mission."

"Very good. No one would dare cross the two of us."

"I think you're actually right about that."

"Of course."

"We still have to go up the stairs to find someone to complain to though."

Thor cursed.

"You know, I've been wanting to ask you about those curses…"

End.

* * *

A/N: Haaa, I will always wonder if the end was too cheesy, but I can't honestly bring myself to care. I'm not sure if this is very OOC for them. I do try to stick to the character's as best I can. But these drabbles are mostly for practice anyway.

On a side note: My two main fics are being worked on and I sincerely hope to have a new chapter up for WoL soon. Keep your fingers crossed!


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